Construyendo con tierra: Weaving Community with Clay and Straw

Project Narrative

The ongoing housing crisis poses a challenge for many urban areas around the world. This design project is located in Cusco, Peru, a city that is faced with urban sprawl and informal construction. The creation of informal squatter settlements on the fringes of cities erodes and transforms the urban fabric of Cusco into spaces prone to devastation, especially after natural disasters like earthquakes.
By considering the topographical and cultural challenges of these areas, this thesis proposes an urban and architectural intervention at three different scales. Subsequently, the use of adobe – a traditional construction technique that uses sun-dried mud bricks – is further examined as a suitable method for the creation of affordable housing a squatter settlement called Mosoq Wasi.
Finally, traditional local weaving techniques and tapestries were used as design tools to create a cohesive visual language and relate the design to its urban context.

                                           

Project Details -

Submission Category

Building Architecture- Large Scale (>10,000 sf)

Date of Completion

April, 2024

Project Team

Student Team Members

Peter Loayza